Here we go:
Barbacoa
* Adapted from seriouseats.com
Ingredients
• 1 whole chuck-eye roast (about 4 pounds), or 4 pounds boneless shortribs
• Mexican BBQ Rub
• 2 oz dried guajillo and/or ancho chilies, seeds & stems removed
• 1 quart low sodium store-bought or homemade chicken stock, divided
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil, divided
• 1 small onion, finely sliced
• 6 medium cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 4 chipotle chilis packed in adobo with 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 whole bay leaves
•
• *Warm corn tortillas, queso fresca, cilantro, limes, and sweet & spicy pickled onions for serving
Instructions
1. Smoke Beef Chuck @ 250 degrees for 5-6 hours until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
2. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and preheat oven to 275°F. Place chilis in bottom of a large Dutch oven and heat over high heat. Cook, turning chilis with tongs occasionally until fragrant and toasted, about 3 minutes. Transfer chilis to a small saucepan and cover with 2 cups chicken broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook until chilis are completely tender, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
3. Add remaining two tablespoons oil and heat along with onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until deep brown and just starting to burn, about 10 minutes. Add cumin, cloves, and oregano and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chipotle chilis, vinegar, and remaining chicken broth. Scrape up browned bits from bottom of pan, simmer until reduced by about half, then transfer entire contents to the jar of a blender.
4. Add soaked chilis and their liquid to the blender along with fish sauce. Start blender on low and slowly increase speed to high. Puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Set aside.
5. Place smoked beef chuck in Dutch oven. Add bay leaves and sauce. Bring to a boil over high heat. Place lid on pot slightly cracked, then transfer to oven. Cook, turning beef occasionally, until internal temperature reaches 210 degrees and two forks shred beef with little to no resistance, about 3 hours. Discard bay leaves. Transfer chuck to a large plate. Return Dutch oven to stovetop and cook, stirring frequently, over medium-high heat until liquid is reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, about 5 minutes.
6. Return beef to the pot with the sauce and shred, gently stirring and folding until beef is coated in sauce. Season to taste with salt. Serve immediately, piling the beef into warm corn tortillas with onions, cilantro, queso fresca, limes, or other condiments as desired.
Sweet & Spicy Pickled Onions
* From Cooks Illustrated
The onions can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Ingredients
1 medium red onion, halved and sliced thin
1 cup red wine vinegar
⅓ cup sugar
2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded, and cut into rings
¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
~ Place the onion slices in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring the vinegar, sugar, jalapeños, and salt to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, to dissolve the sugar. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the onion, cover loosely, and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. When cool, drain and discard the liquid and serve the onions.
